Roosevelt Marks King Legacy With Day of Service

By EGP Staff Report

School was closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, but a group of students at Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles still showed up, not for class, but to take part in the school’s third annual “Roosevelt High School Beautification Day.”

Non-profit AltaMed Health Services and HealthCorps hosted the event as part of a National Day of Service commemorating civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Roosevelt High students, AltaMed staff and HealthCorps cultivate a community garden at the school as part of a National Day of Service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. (Photo courtesy of AltaMed)

About 300 people turned out to volunteer. They painted a mural “that stretched along 5 basketball courts,” basketball backboards and cultivated a community garden of about 100 square feet in order to create a “visually appealing space for students,” Lauren Astor, AltaMed’s director of corporate communications and public affairs told EGP.

The Beautification Day is a community effort, AltaMed said prior to the event. The healthcare provider said events such as this empower students to become engaged in their school and efforts “to create a safe and visually appealing space for students to learn,” and reinforced the importance of community involvement.

“We were very pleased with the success of the event and [we] were able to complete all the tasks we had identified,” Astor, told EGP via email.

AltaMed President and CEO Cástulo de la Rocha is a graduate of Roosevelt High School, so projects supporting the school are especially close to his heart.

“As a graduate from Roosevelt High School,” he said, “I couldn’t be more excited and proud of the engagement we’ve received from AltaMed employees and community members to give the school the attention and appreciation it deserves.”

Editor’s Note: Article updated Jan. 24, 2014 to correct name of nonprofit group to HealthCorps.

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